Message to NATO: ISW explains why Putin wears military uniform at Zapad-2025 training
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin appears in military uniform at Zapad-2025 training (Getty Images)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin appeared in military uniform during the final stage of the Russia-Belarus military exercises Zapad-2025. This is likely a message to NATO countries, which the Kremlin has been regularly threatening in recent months, the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.
On September 16, Putin personally visited the Zapad-2025 military exercise area in the Nizhniy Novgorod region at the Mulino Training Ground, where the final stage of the maneuvers took place. The Russian President wore a military uniform.
Analysts note that this is only the second time Putin has appeared in a military outfit at a public event since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
For the first time, he wore a military uniform during a visit to the Kursk region in March 2025.
According to ISW, Putin’s appearance in military uniform on September 16 may be an attempt to “posture Russian-Belarusian military strength against the backdrop of recent Kremlin kinetic and rhetorical escalation against NATO states neighboring Russia.”
The report emphasizes that this is a message to Poland, Norway, the Baltic states, and Finland, which the Kremlin has been regularly threatening.
According to ISW, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and his deputies attended the exercises alongside Putin.
The maneuvers involved units from the Leningrad and Moscow military districts, the Aerospace and Airborne Forces, the Russian fleets, as well as Belarusian forces, as part of the Union State’s combined Regional Grouping of Forces.
Putin stated that approximately 100,000 troops participated in the exercises overall, including personnel from six foreign countries. Later, the Russian leader met with military representatives from Bangladesh, India, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, and Iran.
Russia-Belarus military exercises Zapad-2025
Earlier, Russia and Belarus were conducting joint military exercises called Zapad-2025. The active phase of these exercises ran from September 12 to 16. The main operations take place on Belarusian territory, and partially in Russia.
According to ISW, Russia used the exercises to rehearse potential provocations against NATO.
Previously, reports indicated that Russia expanded Zapad-2025 exercises to the Kaliningrad region, which borders Poland to the south, and Lithuania to the north and east.
